STEP 3: Justice League

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• Secundair onderwijs

STEP 3: Justice League

Learning about court in the US

1 ⁄ In the name of justice

Ex. 1

Explain what you see in the pictures. What are these attributes used for or a symbol of?

Ex. 2

Who is who? Combine.

judge

bailiff

plaintiff

defendant

defence attorney

public defender

prosecutor

jury

witness

expert witness

 the person accused of wrongdoing/the crime

the person who feels wronged and makes a legal complaint

against someone else in court

 a legal official who accuses someone of committing a crime; they have the burden of proof, which means that they have to prove that the accused is guilty

a lawyer appointed by the court

a person who is allowed to give their opinion because of their knowledge or practical experience of a particular subject

a group of people that look at evidence and decide if the person is innocent or guilty

the person in charge of a trial; they decide the sentence

a person who says what they know about a legal case or a particular person 

 an official who is responsible for the security in the courtroom;

they maintain order in the courtroom and remove disruptive

people from the court

the person who has to prove the accused is innocent

Ex. 3

Who says what? You will get a set of phrases. Categorise them according to who says them in the courtroom. Choose from: judge, witness, bailiff, attorney, defendant.

Ex. 4

Who sits where? 

Tip: the plaintiff sits 

closest to the jury...

Ex. 4

2 ⁄ A plea, please!

Ex. 1

The most important different steps in a trial are listed.

Link each step to the correct information.

opening statements

 arraignment and plea

 direct examination

cross examination

closing statements

 verdict and sentencing

A

B

C

D

E

F

opening statements = openingsverklaringen

arraignment = voorgeleiding

plea = pleidooi

direct examination = verhoor

cross examination = kruisverhoor

closing statements = slotverklaringen

verdict =  oordeel, vonnis

sentencing = veroordeling, strafoplegging           (Summary, p. 241)

Ex. 2

Watch the following video about a famous court case.

a Complete the fact file.

b Put the following parts of the 

opening statement in the correct 

order.

a Complete the fact file.

b Put the following parts of the opening statement in the correct order.

Ex. 3

Watch the second video about another famous court case and answer the questions.

a Complete the fact file.

 b Why is Donald Williams a witness in this case?

c Why does he say: ‘I called the police on the police’?

d Which 2 kinds of questions does the attorney ask the witness?

e Why does the attorney ask the witness these questions?

b Why is Donald Williams a witness in this case?

b Why is Donald Williams a witness in this case?

He witnessed the death of George Floyd. He saw the police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck, who was not resisting arrest.

 

c Why does he say: ‘I called the police on the police’?

c Why does he say: ‘I called the police on the police’?

He believed he witnessed a murder, and the murderer was a police agent, Derek Chauvin.

d Which 2 kinds of questions does the attorney ask the witness?

d Which 2 kinds of questions does the attorney ask the witness?

– yes/no questions: ‘At some point, did you make a 911 call?’ ‘Did you believe that the police were involved?’

– open questions: ‘Why did you do that?’ ‘Why didn’t you just talk to the police about it?’

e Why does the attorney ask the witness these questions?

e Why does the attorney ask the witness these questions?

He tries to get the information he needs from the witness.

ODT - practice

Check 1: p. 243: ex. 1, 2, 4

Check 2: p. 248: ex. 1, 2, 3

Check 3: p. 256: ex. 1